Dustin Blumer Sermon 468 - Job 42

Blessing, but no Bow

Have you ever been in a situation that was complicated? Life is complicated right? Consider people. People are complicated. You may have heard that Aretha Franklin passed this week. And I was reading a little about the Queen of soul’s life, and it is…complicated. Her father growing up was a radio star in Detroit, but not a good example. Her mom left at age 5 after the father tore the family apart. At age 15 she had two children by unnamed fathers, but she left them in Detroit to pursue a career in New York. She married a man named Ted White who was abusive and was said to be a pimp who funded her career early on through that work. Seemingly she lived out the song “Chain of fools.” But what talent as she got in front of microphone or piano. And at the same time had powerful confessions of Christ. She released a album called One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism which included renditions of Amazing Grace, and Oh Happy Day. But still she struggled with depression, anxiety, was known for heavy drinking. I could go on about her story but frankly I’m reminded - that a right standing with God does not come from our spotless record. I’m not going to stand before God and claim my goodness. No a right standing comes from Jesus. I’m going to stand before God and say, “I got it wrong, but I believe Jesus got it right for me, I simply hold all my hope in him.” But I bring up Aretha, because yes people are complicated aren’t they? Do you know any complicated people? Human beings are a concoction of history, hormones, and current happenstance. And complicated people lead to complicated circumstances. I was hearing about a possible stall in another release of the Guardians of the Galaxy. The writer/director James Gunn was fired over a series of tweets from his past. Chris Pratt and his co-stars had an official statement, but considers it all complicated. But honestly I do need to deflect to other people and other circumstances because I believe you know your own people and your own circumstances that confirm how complicated life really is. Life is way too complicated for us to completely understand it all. In other words people and circumstances don’t fit into neat boxes with bows. And if anyone would give us an amen, I think it would be Job. He’s like I’m in the midst of a situation that is complicated. I’m surrounded by people who are complicated. And honestly I do not understand it all. There’s no box and there’s now bow. One of my favorite illustrations of what life is like on earth is that of living behind the weaver’s loom of a tapestry. All we see is the knots and the snarls and the mess. We have an idea there is an artist creating something, but we do not see it. So it is with Job and so it is with us. And some of you are saying pastor you know I do believe that life is complicated. You didn’t have to convince me - so why are you bringing this up? I guess it’s because we this whole summer have been wrestling with the why of suffering. Why do I go through things? Why God did you allow this or that to happen in my life? And Job would tell us I asked for a why and I never got it. God showed up and while I was looking for an explanation, he just gave me an escape to how much high above he stood. No box, no bow. So for us. If we honestly wrestle with the complicated, we might accept there are no easy answers. So what are we left with? During this series I’ve been listening to a Pastor Tim Keller, and he gave an illustration I’d like to permit to you. He was talking about sheep herding on the hills of England. I like this already ‘cause in the church God refers to us as sheep and He is the Great Shepherd. And because of the bugs that will literally eat the sheep alive, every year the sheep have to be dunked head to hoof in antiseptic. And it can be quite a job to get the sheep in this, obviously they don’t like having their whole bodies and their heads dunked. To give you a picture of what this might look like I found a video of people actually doing this. So I permit to you this sheep dunking in antiseptic. There it is, a much better and kinder way than this other video I saw. But consider the position of the sheep herder. Are they going to be able to explain see - I have to dunk, if I don’t get your head down you are going to be eaten alive. You don’t want that. If you try to explain that to a sheep I believe you’re wasting your time. The sheep would never understand and yet the shepherd does it for the sheeps good. And so we find ourselves in the same position when it comes to God and what he is doing in the midst of our suffering. “God I don’t like this.” His response? Trust me. And in the space between what God is doing, and situations too complicated for us to understand is the need for trust. So let’s turn to the message where we get trust from. Faith comes from hearing the message and the message is the Word of Christ. We believe this story of Job recorded in the Bible is not just ancient literature or a good historical account. We believe it is actually the voice of God to us and to others in every age who wrestle with suffering. Because we are concluding the study today a quick review of what we learned. While we do not get the why of suffering we have learned. 1) God is worthy of love even apart from the blessings he bestows. Job taught us when God gives or even when he takes away - God is worthy of praise. Suffering allows us to praise him for who he is rather than what he gives. 2) God may permit suffering as a means of purifying and strengthening the soul in godliness. How many of us can testify it was actually through the fire of an ordeal that we got stronger. And there is beauty that can be forged from misery. The cross of Jesus testifies to that. And finally, 3) God’s thoughts and ways are moved by considerations too vast for the puny mind of man to comprehend. This is where we have been dwelling for weeks. We’ve said being before God is like being an astronaut in space. Vulnerable overwhelmed by beauty and power. So it is to stand before a God way more beautiful and powerful than we can imagine. And today we conclude. We have Job’s response to God’s appearance, and we also have the blessing of God bestowed on Job. I think it’s going to be a powerful conversation and may it encourage our hearts. Let’s turn there now reading from the very last chapter the conclusion. There it is turn to the person next to you and say, “There is blessing but no bow.” I’m a believer in the seasons of life, and one of the things I permit to you is that it is a wonderful blessing when a tough season ends. Maybe it ended with a different job, it ended because health was restored, the tough season ended because the bill got paid or the circumstance changed. For me I remember when Kat and I were engaged. We got engaged when I was a SR in college, and she was a junior. And the next year we would be apart. She was at MLC and I was at Seminary. I tried to fill my life with busyness, so not only was I full time Seminary student, but I as also working 29 hours a week as a bank teller. It was a lot. And as much as I worked and tried to make the time go fast - it was good when the season ended. And the week after she graduated we got married. That ushered in a new season. What we find in the last chapter of Job is the end of a tough season. It’s as if Job was stuck in the middle of the night waiting for the sun to come, and finally the dawn breaks. What do we hear in v.10-11, “10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. 11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.” Wow. Like that the season of sorrow ends. God restores his fortunes. I was reading Charles Swindoll’s commentary on these verses and he says, “• Suddenly the boils are gone, leaving no scars. • Suddenly the fever breaks as a cool breeze refreshes him. • Suddenly the friends are smiling and applauding. • Suddenly he’s able to return home, and the homestead he builds is twice the size! • And suddenly one morning, some time later, his wife giggles over breakfast, leans on his shoulder, and whispers with a smile, “I’m pregnant.” You have to love it when a touch season ends and a new and better season is ushered in. But there is something that stands in the middle of one season and the other. Something that I believe is significant. Standing in the middle of Job’s long dark night season, and his fortunes restored is his own repentant heart and sacrifice. Job who said, “I repent in dust and ashes.” And Job who gave a sacrifice for his friends. They brought 7 bulls and 7 rams for sacrifice. And I think this is significant. Let me explain. We’ve come here to gather and talk about spiritual things. And some of you may be new to this space because someone invited you. You might not consider yourself a Christian, that is ok we are just glad you’re here. But here is something I believe. A better spiritual season is not possible without repentance and sacrifice. You see there is a longer dark night for those who are without Christ Jesus. It’s a night filled with guilt and shame and wondering if we could ever be enough or have ever done enough to satisfy God’s demands. But the truth that this church teaches and God encourages us to see is that we all need to repent. It’s admitting none of us have done enough. In fact the Bible even says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8) So we come together regularly to confess we have not done enough, we have not gotten it all right. But then we cling to the sacrifice. Not of 7 bulls and 7 rams. But the sacrifice of the Son of God Jesus Christ. He gave his life for us on the cross. There he paid the punishment of our sins. There we see the price to set us free. And if you want to be in the best possible season spiritually, it is by having a heart of repentance and also clinging to that sacrifice of Jesus. For it is then that God restores the fortunes of a clean heart and a right conscience. Then that we find our identity as dearly loved children of God. Then that see the riches of grace that are ours now and for eternity. If you are in Christ Jesus, you are in an eternally good spiritual season that will only get better. But there’s more to consider in this story and to move on I wanted to tell you of a story I recently heard of pastor trying to wade through pain. This pastor was diagnosed with cancer and a had a 6 hour surgery that should have been 2 hours. But a 6 hour surgery to remove all the cancer. And after he woke up from surgery and just hours later, he wanted to get up and walk around. His wife said no, the nurse said no. But he was going anyway. When the nurse offered painkillers he also said no. For he thought if he could bear up under this pain, he could bear almost anything. Well he did it. Not only that but three months after surgery, he had another idea. To set the record for how quickly anyone after this surgery played basketball. So 3 months later he told his wife he was going to hang out with the guys, when secretly he had his gym bag and gym clothes. And sure enough 3 months later he was playing basketball though his wounds were leaking and bloody. Now again he was trying to get used to pain, to push through. To make himself stronger for the future. I bring this up because Job was in pain. Not because he did anything wrong. But his pain is in direct correlation to his obedience to God. Consider how this story started, “Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” (1:8) And it is because of his obedience that his suffering ensues. Do you know what Christians call pain endured because of their obedience to God? A cross. We all have our own crosses to bear. You may have heard this. And I’m not sure how noble it is to suffer without pain killers after surgery. But I am convinced that it is noble to suffer pain on account of your obedience to God. For every time you encourage someone and it takes something out of you, but you do it to lift them up. Noble and good. For every time you take the time to help someone though it might cost time and money. Noble and good. For the times you do the painful work of forgiving someone who hurt you. Noble and good. For every time you are exhausted and running on fumes but the cause is for Christ and it is good so you give it. Noble and good. And it’s in our willingness to enter in and bear this pain, that makes us most like Christ. Yet perhaps the problem is that we esteem the example of Christ too little. For I think of all the people we would like to be emulate. I consider all the young athletes trying to emulate the pros. Saw a little league game where the guy who hit the walk off homerun in Hawaii threw his bat like Bryce Harper after it cleared the fence. I consider all the fashionistas taking their cues from those in the spotlight, need the make up and style. Perhaps why Kylie Jenner is a billionaire. I consider the fame of American Ninja Warrior, and all those who have worked so hard to try themselves to be the next one on the show. You have the pain of practice and purchase and pursuit. But Job is a standout in the pages of history, because when pain hit he gave God glory. When it continued he endured. And he is perhaps one of the greatest examples and emulators of Christ as one who suffered unjustly in order to be obedient to God. The pain it takes to emulate Christ is worth the cost. Our goal as Christians is to give God glory, and I think we do it best when enduring pain to show our obedience. To deny ourselves, to serve, to give it our all, to seek eternal treasures. Jesus Christ said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) The opportunity still stands for us to be like Job who was most like Christ. And when we do that the world will be blessed by our example. But what should be noted is there will be an accounting. God will remember all that we did and all that we poured out and all that we endured to give him glory. Reminds me of growing up drinking Mountain Dew and collecting the bottle caps for rewards. I would look under every 20oz drink, I even would dumpster dive, I would ask my friends if they were using their bottle caps. All so I could punch in the codes, store up and see what I could get. Now in fairness I never really did get much for my work in collecting Mountain dew bottles - a hat. A free one. But not so with God. See God catches all that we do for him. One of the great passages for serving Him comes from Hebrews 6 where it says, “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” (10) See he keeps record of it all, he sees every effort, every moment willing to endure pain for his sake - and he is a better judge and a better reward giver than you and I yet have ever met. I consider that promise of God along with this one from Mark, “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.” (Mark 10:29-30) I guess what I’d convince you is that God knows how to bless those who bear the cross for him. And bless you in crazy ways that don’t even have explanation. For example. How does Job go from having no servants, and no cattle, and a wife who he was on thin ice with. To receiving double. Twice as many cattle and servants, twice as large a house. 10 more children who by God’s grace will join him eternally. You look at the blessing of Job and you realize only God can do that. The Shepherd knows how to bless his sheep even when they don’t understand. And as we close out this series and our wrestling with why has ceased for a while let me put a capstone on it. We may not have an explanation for why we suffer. But hear this clearer and louder - for this is a better word. We also don’t have explanation for why we are so blessed. Why God would care so much that we could know Jesus. Why he would pay the price to set us free. Why he blesses beyond what we deserve, and treats us better than we deserve. We have no answer for these things. We just have a firm belief that there is a Great Good Shepherd and we believe in a love so good, so other worldly, so illogical that we simply call it amazing. May belief in that love give your heart peace. Amen.